My friend Eric Wetlaufer was always destined to be an attorney , standing up in front of the court, convincing judge and jury that he was right. The reason why we all could see this back in our Wesson school days was that he loved to argue, he loved to say controversial things and he loved to convince people that he was right. I can remember attending Eric’s first case as an attorney when he was representing a company called Fidelity, he tied them up in so many knots that the judge was almost laughing at the way in which he won that case. Over the years I have seen Eric’s approach to arguments and it is something which we could certainly all learn from, especially given the fact that the art the healthy debate has very much declined.
Understanding All Sides
If there was a particular point up for discussion, you could flip a coin and give Eric either side and he would still be able to win. The reason for this is his open mind, he is able to put himself in the position of the person on the other side of the argument and think how he would argue. Once he works out all angles of the point, he can then launch his attack, knowing that he has a rebuttal for anything that comes his way. This not only helps to defend against arguments, it also gives the confidence which in turn creates a more plausible argument.
Relative
Eric also has a wonderful ability to make an argument personal to you by making it relative. During that case against Fidelity he had the men and women of the jury eating out of the palm of his hand as he spoke about finances and budgeting, not at the corporate level, but at a level which the jurors could associate with, in order to demonstrate the larger point. When you make something relative to someone it can tap into their feelings and can make them slightly vulnerable, the perfect time to convince them that you are right.
Public Speaking
In Eric’s case it is not just what he argues that enables him to win so many court cases or so many arguments on the playground, it is the way that he argues. I am not sure if this was something that he was born with or something that his Dad Frank showed him but his grasp of timing when speaking publicly is brilliant. Eric knows exactly when to pause for effect, when to raise and lower the tone or the volume of his voice and when to delver the killshot. As I mentioned before, to watch him in front of a judge and jury is a sight to behold and he will usually have each and every one of them eating from the palm of his hand.
Winning arguments can help in a lot of different areas of life and if you aren’t good at it, maybe you can learn a thing or two from Eric.
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